


you're everywhere (i swear)

by gsales



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Adulthood, Alternate Universe - Mortal, Breaking Up & Making Up, F/M, Family, Family Fluff, Implied/Referenced Sex, Kissing, Making Out, Post-Break Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:35:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29730510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gsales/pseuds/gsales
Summary: She was expecting him to be everywhere. She was expecting her heart to sting every time she walked by the places they used to walk together (it didn’t help that they loved passing by the Empire State, Annabeth because she would appreciate the architecture and Percy just because he was a real sucker for NY). She expected her anxiety to come back as strong as ever.What she didn’t expect was to receive a message from Sally Jackson a few weeks after she had moved back to the city.ormoving back to new york brings back too many feelings about percy, and annabeth's not really sure she's over him. or if she want's to be
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 8
Kudos: 74





	you're everywhere (i swear)

**Author's Note:**

> hey everyone!
> 
> so, this fic was inspired by the song "everywhere", by niall horan. thanks to all my directioner friends, i've became addicted to his album, heartbreak weather, and this song like rough this story to my head, so I had to write it.
> 
> maybe I'll write other things in the same universe, in different periods in time, and make it a series, but I'm not sure yet.
> 
> this thing is huge, and idek if I like it really, but maybe you will
> 
> (hopefully)
> 
> ~gabi

Annabeth knew she shouldn’t go back to New York. At least not yet. She knew she wasn’t ready. She knew she would get paranoid and start having to deal with feelings she wasn’t really looking forward to deal with. She new she would see his face in every corner, in every dark hair in the subway. She knew she would remember his scent when she smelled the ocean again. He’d been the whole reason why she’d left, in the first place.

No, not left. Ran away.

Still, there she is. She is too proud and ambitious not to be. After all, that was one hell of an opportunity, and she wasn’t going to jeopardize her career because of a guy. She had done this indirectly before, when she went back to San Francisco – New York was too much, too _Percy_ , even after he was gone. And that hurt her so much, it felt like ripping an important part of herself.

So, when she got that call from Chiron, who’d been her professor in Berkley, offering her a job to redesign an entire floor at _the_ Empire State Building… She couldn’t say no. It would be too painful, too aggressive with herself if she did. Nonetheless, that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt saying yes, too. And she knew it would.

She was expecting him to be everywhere. She was expecting her heart to sting every time she walked by the places they used to walk together (it didn’t help that they loved passing by the Empire State, Annabeth because she would appreciate the architecture and Percy just because he was a real sucker for NY). She expected her anxiety to come back as strong as ever.

What she didn’t expect was to receive a message from Sally Jackson a few weeks after she had moved back to the city.

So there she is, standing in the subway, coming back from a long, long day at work and after having a hard time convincing her racing heart that that tall guy over there wasn’t Percy, and all she can do is stare blankly at her phone.

She reads and re-reads the message, and then starts again, to make sure she isn't getting it wrong.

It says:

> **_Sally Jackson:_ ** _Hey, Annabeth, darling! How’re you doing? I hope it’s not weird that I’m reaching out, but Thalia accidentally told me you had recently moved back to NY. So I thought I’d say hello and remind you that, if you need anything at all, you can contact me. Please do, I’ll be happy to help if I can._
> 
> _Hope you’re doing fine!_
> 
> _XO,_
> 
> _Sally._

Annabeth wishes she could say she was nothing but completely and utterly shocked. But the truth is, as much as she feels overwhelmed, it doesn't really surprise her that Sally would do such thing. Don’t get her wrong, it’s not that she doesn't like her. On the contrary, she loves Sally. She may have been the closest thing Annabeth had ever had to a mother. And she misses her. A lot. But she _is_ her ex’s mom, after all. And they hadn’t really talked in months.

As much as that intrigued her, though, she isn’t nearly as surprised with herself as she wished she would be when she clicks the phone icon near Sally’s name and brings her phone to her ear, as soon as she recovers from the inicial shock.

She almost regrets that as soon as Sally picks up. “Hello?”

“Uh-,” she clears her throat. “Um, hi. Sally? It’s Annabeth.”

Silence. “Annabeth?”

“Yeah, um, I just-“

“Oh, honey, I’m so glad you called! Sorry if I bothered you-“

“You didn’t,” Annabeth is finally able to steady her breath and heartbeat. “I was just… Surprised, I guess.”

Pause.

“Well, it just didn’t feel right not saying anything after I knew you were back in town. Is life in New York treating you kindly?”

Annabeth chuckles, glad to see that conversation with Sally was still as easy as ever. “Well, it’s New York. I think it’s too much to expect it would be kind.”

Sally laughs. “You're alright, though, right?”

Annabeth nods, before realizing the woman can't see it. “Um, yes. Yes, I’m fine.”

“Good. Congratulations on te new job, honey. It doesn’t surprise me at all that you’re doing so well.”

“Thanks, Sally,” before she can stop herself, she blurts out, “I missed you."

Once again, there’s silence between them, interrupted by the sound of the train doors opening and closing.

“You’re going home?” Sally asks her, probably because she heard the noises.

“Yes,” Annabeth answers. “On my way.”

“Do you have plans for tonight?”

She says she doesn’t, so Sally invites her over.

It’s Estelle’s birthday.

So, she says yes, an she doesn’t need to ask for directions, because she knows exactly how to get there.

* * *

She wonders what she’s doing when she stops in front of Sally Jackson’s door. It’s exactly the same as it was the last time she’d been there, the year before, and that brings back a lot of memories and feelings.

She holds the cake she’d bought on the way there a little tighter as she rings the doorbell and tries do straighten her shirt a little, as if that would hide her messed up hair and the dark circles around her eyes. When Paul answers the door, she’s smiling to herself, realizing she had no reason to try to impress them whatsoever. Not anymore.

“Hey, Annabeth! Come in,” Percy’s stepdad gives her a warm smile and makes some space for her to enter the apartment. “It’s nice seeing you again.”

“Hello, Mr. Blofis. It’s good seeing you too. And thanks for having me,” she says kindly before walking in.

“It’s our pleasure. And, please, you know you should call me Paul. It’s been a long time since you guys were kids, you know.”

She gives him a sincere smile and walks in, remembering all the times she’d been there, spending the afternoon eating cookies and playing games as a kid, then watching movies and having meaningful conversations with Sally as a teenager and, finally, coming back as Percy’s girlfriend after college.

It doesn’t take long for Sally to reach them on their way to the living room. “Oh, Annabeth dear,” she just reaches out and pulls her in for a hug. Annabeth had forgotten how much that hug felt like home. Damn, she had missed the Jackson/Blofis clan way more than she usually let herself admit.

When they separate, she has tears in her eyes, and Sally comforts her with a smile. “Well, Annabeth says. “What I really want to know is where’s the birthday girl. I brought ca-ake," she extends the first syllable, letting her voice get a little higher and speaking in the direction of the hallway intentionally, so that Estelle can hear her.

Sally chuckles. “When I told her you were coming she said she would put on her new outfit. She’ll be here any minute,” she says.

They sit on the couch and Annabeth asks about them, getting to know a bit more about Estelle’s adventures and Paul and Sally’s thoughts about buying a place in Montauk.

When Sally invited her over, Annabeth didn’t really know what to think. Of course, she had remembered it was Estelle’s birthday. How could she forget? That girl had literally been the sweetest thing in her life since she was born, and it had broken her heart saying goodbye when she moved back to San Francisco after she and Percy had broken up. But it was hard keeping in touch, and it hurt too much, really, talking to any of them. For the last few months, she had tried to erase everything related to Percy of her life. She still loved him and thought about him too much all the time, so it wasn’t really healthy for her to keep talking to his family, as much as she loved them. Shit, everything about this whole situation hurt too much.

“She misses you,” Sally says. “Loosing Percy and you almost at the same, it was… Well, it’s been hard for her.”

Annabeth nods. “I miss her a lot too. All of you, really. I just-“

She is interrupted by a jumpy Estelle running out of her room. “Annabeth!”

The girl throws her arms around Annabeth, who lets her settle between her legs for a moment.

When they break apart, Estelle’s beaming at her. “You came!”

“Of course I came. It’s not every day that a girl turns 10, is it?”

Annabeth grabs her hand and brings her arm up, twirling her around lightly. “Girl, you’ve grown too much. And that’s a beautiful outfit.”

Estelle smiles. “Thanks. Mom just got it for me today, for my birthday party after school tomorrow. I like it, too.”

“Well, it’s awesome.”

She grabs the box with the cake she’d left besides her. “I got something for you.”

Estelle quickly opens it up to reveal the chocolate cake that Annabeth had bought at the grocery store down the street. She knew it was her favorite.

“Oooh, it’s my favorite!” Estelle all but screams in joy. “Mom, can we _please_ have it now? It’s my birthday!”

“Sure, honey,” she grabs the box from Estelle’s hand and gets up. “I'm gonna grab some plates.”

“Yay!”

They talk and eat cake and play Monopoly, and it’s almost like anything has actually changed. This was family, after all, and as much as it all brought back the hurtful memory of Percy to her, Annabeth hadn’t felt this much at home in a long time. So she enjoys it, until it’s time for Estelle to reluctantly go to bed (“But mom, it’s my birthday!”), and she gives Annabeth a goodbye hug before going inside.

“I missed you,” Estelle tells her, looking up wistfully and holding her hands.

“I missed you too, honey. A lot.”

“Can you visit more? Please?”

Annabeth bites her lips, not knowing what or how to answer that. She’s not sure how she can visit them more often, or even if she should. They weren’t supposed to be part of her life anymore, they were… well, part of the Percy part in her life, and she had to get used to the fact that _that_ didn’t exist anymore.

Except that it was more than that. They _were_ part of her life, and after tonight she couldn’t deny it. She had grown up with them, and been her family when she felt she hadn't any. Truth is, it had come a time when Percy had become literally a part of her, and so did his family. It’s no surprise she’s having such a hard time getting over him. For a long time, she thought he was _the love of her life_ , but really, he was more than that. He was family. They were.

When she looks at Sally and sees the sad smile on her face, she can’t give Estelle another answer. “Of course I can. Tell you what, what if I take you to the movies next week?”

Annabeth’s not really sure if that’s the right thing to say, or what that will do to herself. Maybe she’s choosing a path that will hurt her even more. Maybe she’s putting more obstacles on her journey to learn who she is without him. Or maybe she’s just trying not to lose parts of herself that she doesn’t have to lose.

She really doesn’t know. When she sees Estelle’s smile, though, she knows that she’s doing the right thing.

And that’s how the Blofis’ find their way back into her life.

* * *

It’s not something she knows exactly how to explain, but she doesn’t regret resuming her relationship with them, specially Sally and Estelle.

In spite of all the times they bring back the memories of Percy, spending time with them makes her life New York easier, and even so dealing with his absence. She was right about them being a part of her, and she felt more like herself now that she had that back. So she kept in touch.

She became a usual guest for their Sunday lunches. They made a habit of Annabeth staying home or hanging out with Estelle when Sally and Paul needed some time alone. Of course, now the girl is almost 13 and it was more of an excuse to keep her company than anything, but both of them loved it, so they just kept doing it.

But now it’s been too long and Annabeth is determined to do something about her love life. It’s been more than 3 years since she and Percy broke up, and, of course, she’d been with a few people, but… Well, let's just say it was Estelle who’d downloaded Tinder on her cellphone.

So when Will, the guy with light brown skin and nappy hair had sent her a direct message, she’d responded it nicely. And when he’d proven himself to be pleasant to talk to, kind but slightly sassy, she’d asked him on a date. And now she’s so nervous, she almost regrets this. And that’s exactly why she had scheduled to spend the afternoon watching Netflix with Estelle, while Sally and Paul were at the movies. Also, the girl was _crazy_ good at all the make up stuff Annabeth was terrible at, so that was a bonus.

Estelle is finishing her eyeliner when Annabeth’s phone lights up and the sound for Tinder notifications reach their ears as she moves to grab it, but Estelle holds her back. “Hey, don’t move!” Her voice is high. “You want me to ruin everything?”

“Sorry.”

“You better be,” she complains, and Annabeth raises her eyebrow. “Please, can you just be still for one… more- Okay, I’m done!”

Annabeth raises her head to look herself in the mirror and gasps. Somehow, Estelle found the perfect balance between sexy and serious, nice and confident.

“I know, I’m amazing,” she says.

“You are,” Annabeth agrees, smiling, and pulls her in for a hug. “Thank you.”

She then reaches out for her phone and checks the message, and her expression changes quickly.

“What?” Estelle asks, worried. “What happened?”

Annabeth sighs. “Well, apparently _Will_ can’t make it tonight. Says he got stuck at work, but I don’t know…”

Estelle frowns and puts the eyeliner she has in hands down. “Oh.”

“Yeah, well…”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok. I’m just gonna wait for your parents to get here and then head home, then.” That’s not entirely true. What Annabeth’s thinking about is calling a friend with whom she could spend the night drinking, even if that meant being the third wheel. It was times like these that she regretted being such a good cupid. If she hadn’t introduced Thalia and Reyna, who’d started working with Annabeth a year ago, and Will and Nico back when she and Percy dated, she might have different friends, from different places, who might or might not be single as she was. Of course, she had other friends, but most of them lived back in San Francisco or weren’t close enough for her to get drunk with because of a random guy from Tinder.

Estelle nods, not really knowing what to say, but she doesn’t really have to, because the doorbell rings.

“I’ll go get it,” Annabeth says and makes her way out of the room, figuring Sally and Paul were back sooner than expected.

When she opens the door, though, she freezes, and she’s sure her brain has turned into water or fire or electricity, because she forgets how to speak or literally do anything.

“Annabeth?”

She’s glad when he speaks, because he’d spent so much time staring with his mouth opened that she’s afraid he might start drooling all over the carpet.

“I- uh. I don’t,” Annabeth shakes her head, trying to form complete sentences. “You’re supposed to be at Alaska.”

“I-,” Percy’s interrupted by Estelle coming to the hall, probably wondering if something had happened.

“Annabeth? Is everything-,” she stops when she sees her brother standing in the doorway, backpack and huge suitcase behind him. “Percy?”

That pulls him out from his trance and brings a smile to his face. “Did anyone order an older brother around here?”

Estelle rolls her eyes, but gets closer to meet Percy’s extended arms that offer her a hug.

Annabeth stays back awkwardly and takes her time to try and steady her breath. She wasn’t ready to see him again. She didn’t think this would happen and she had no idea how to feel about it.

She takes him in, observing his looks and body language. The faded blue jeans and the beige denim jacket almost make her feel like no time at all has passed since they were together, but the changes in his body leave no doubt that this isn’t true. He needs to shave, or maybe that’s just the way he’s wearing his beard now, and his hair is shorter, adjusting better to his face. And she can’t help but noticing he’s thiner, not as muscular as he used to be. She assumes he didn’t find as much energy to exercise in Alaska.

“You're home,” Estelle says, amused, as she and Percy break apart.

“I am.”

“I thought you could only come on Christmas, just as the last few years.”

Percy glances at Annabeth reluctantly when answering her. “Well, yeah. But I’m not back for visiting. I’m back for good.”

Annabeth doesn’t take in Estelle’s reaction to that, ‘cause the world starts spinning and she has to lean on the wall. She never visited the Blofis around holidays season, because she knew Percy would be around, and she didn’t want to see him. She didn’t want to deal with… Well, what she’s dealing with now.

She hears Percy’s and Estelle’s voices muffled as she mutters, “I need to sit down,” and makes her way back to the living room, holding her head steady as she stares at the ground, trying to focus on one spot.

Percy’s back. _Percy’s back_. And there’s just too much to feel about it, so much she can’t reckon one single feeling inside her, it’s just a terrible mess.

“Hey,” Estelle’s voice is soft when she gets closer, offering Annabeth a glass of cold water. “Are you feeling okay?”

Annabeth gives her a shy, thankful smile before nodding, while taking a sip. “I'm fine, hon, it’s just,” she notices Percy observing them from near the doorway, bringing his stuff in. “A little overwhelming.”

“Yeah…”

She tries to pull herself together. She wants to leve before Sally and Paul get home. They should be together as a family now, and she doesn’t want to get in the way. And, of course, she needs to breathe, and that’s hard to do with Percy around.

She finishes the water quickly and gets up to grab her things. “So,” she announces, “Now that you have company, I’ll get going, ‘kay?”

She means to say it for Estelle, but she can’t stop glancing at Percy, who’s standing awkwardly near the hallway. He’s staring intensely at her, and she doesn’t want to stay there long enough to figure out what it means.

“Okay,” Estelle answers, biting her lip.

“Annabeth, you don’t-,” Percy finally speaks up, but she doesn’t let him finish.

“Bye, Percy. It was… Nice seeing you again.”

She reaches the door, and Estelle goes after her. Before she closes the door, the girl grabs her arm and whispers. “Hey, you’re… You’re still coming to my birthday next week right?”

She looks at her, remembering something she’d asked her almost 3 years ago now, because she felt something very similar at the moment. “Sure,” she answers. “I'll make it work.”

Estelle leans forward and gives her a hug. “I love you,” she whispers.

Annabeth can hold her tears only long enough to turn around after Estelle closes the door, and she immediately grabs her phone in her pocket. She’s definitely calling Thalia now. And she doesn’t even care if she interrupts some date or something else with Reyna. This night claims for lots of alcohol, comfort food and a friend.

* * *

As the week passes by, she’s not sure if it feels like 7 hours or 7 years. She hasn’t felt this anxious in years, and her thoughts and feelings go places she didn’t even remember existed anymore.

She thinks of Percy being back in NY and her heart races like it did when she figured out she liked him and didn’t know how he felt. And that’s enough reason to keep her worried, because it means that she still cares, way more than she would like.

She’s not sure how she feels about it. She doesn’t know if she’s really over him, and she’s not sure if she wants to be. And she doesn’t know how she feels about not wanting to be over him. It’s too much, and she literally can’t deal with it. So the days become too heavy and the nights become too long, until she’s finally standing at the Blofis’ door again.

Sally answers, and that makes it easier to breathe for a while. “Hi, honey, come in,” she says. Annabeth hesitates, and Sally offers her a kind look. “Percy’s picking up the cake.”

“Oh.”

“It must have been… Hard for you, seeing him last week. We didn’t know he was coming.”

“Oh, God no, Sally. It’s fine, really.”

Sally waits a minute, as if wondering if she should say something, but then only steps aside to make room for Annabeth.

“Come on, Estelle’s been wondering if you’d show up.”

Annabeth’s glad to see how happy Estelle is to see her and hands her her gift, but the girl soon goes back to talk with her friends, and Annabeth goes to the kitchen to grab something to drink. It’s not a party, really, just cake and a sleepover for Estelle’s friends. Annabeth hoped she would have Thalia’s company on this (she was Percy’s cousin, after all, and very attached to Estelle), but her friend was in one of her many work trips. So she felt more… Exposed.

And it doesn't help it when she turns around with her glass of lemonade to see Percy standing at the kitchen’s door, holding the box with the cake in is hands.

“Hi,” he says, sending a shiver down her spine.

“Hi.”

They stare at each other deeply for a while, until he takes a step forward and puts the cake on the counter.

“So you’re back,” she says, taking his appearance in again. She hasn’t gotten used to his new beard style yet.

He clears his throat. “Yeah. I’m, uh, back.”

She nods and starts walking towards the door.

She’s almost escaping when he blurts out a loud “I missed you” and she stops, turning around to face him again.

There’s a long moment of silence before she speaks again. “Welcome back, Percy.”

She’s able to avoid having direct conversations with him throughout the evening, staying close to Sally and Paul and managing to keep the subjects generic, proper for the four of them to talk about. She still learns a lot about his life in Alaska, though, how he missed the real summer but how beautiful it was when the sun stayed up until midnight. How much work they got done registering and helping out endangered animals and how good it felt to do such an important work for him. How his friendship with Frank and Hazel had grown stronger and how they worked well together, in spite of him being the third wheel all the time.

When Percy had majored in Marine Biology, Annabeth hadn’t realized how meaningful the job would be for him. At least not until Hazel offered him a position on the NGO she and Frank worked for. The three of them had met in college and worked with different areas, but they found out they worked very well as a group. And so they’d been sent to Alaska. And as solid as it was, hers and Percy’s relationship wasn’t stable enough to go through all the “you’re leaving”s and “why don’t you come along”s, or the idea of long distance.

Some time ago, Annabeth realized she had never thought that _he_ would be the one leaving for his career. She felt terrible when she thought about that.

So, as much as her stomach twirls with his presence, a part of her is happy to hear all of that. She realizes now that he had to do things like that in order to feel his purpose in the world.

When she talks about her life, though, he doesn’t seem surprised at almost anything, and she realizes that, of course, Sally and Estelle must have told him about her. She doesn’t know how much or when, but it doesn’t really bothers her, ‘cause she knows they hadn’t violated her privacy.

She starts feeling more comfortable with the situation as the evening passes by, and soon enough Estelles in her room with her friends, in their pajamas and probably having pillow fights, and Sally and Paul are done for the night and have already gone to bed, too, leaving Percy and Annabeth to clean everything up in silence.

She’s cleaning some piece of cake from the balcony floor when Percy reaches her and sits down besides her. “So you’re a fancy architect now, uh,” he says.

She finishes her job and sits down on the ground too, blushing. “It’s not like that.”

He chuckles. “Then how is it?”

She doesn’t answer, and they stay silent for a while, contemplating the sky above them.

“Why'd you come back?” She finally asks, turning around to face him. He stares at her, thoughtfully.

“I was supposed to, someday. And I guess it was… Enough for me. I did what I had to do. I left things the right way. And I missed New York and- Uh, and my family,” he shrugs. “It was time.”

She hums. “I'm glad you found purpose there, Percy, I really am. I’m sorry if it seemed like I didn’t believe in you or didn’t support you back when…”

“It’s ok. I never thought you didn’t,” he says. “I guess it was just… The wrong timing.”

Annabeth nods, quietly. Then she chuckles. Repeatedly. And finally she’s full-on laughing, shaking her head as she does.

“What?” Percy’s frowning.

“It's just,” she takes a few deep breaths and recomposes herself. “It's just so ironic to talk about timing when it’s about us. Like, we literally had our entire lives.”

At last, Percy’s smile matches hers.

“That's not truth,” he says, playfully. “When we were kids, you kind of hated me. You were my friend only for my mom’s cookies.”

“Well, yeah, you’re right,” they laugh a little. “But I flirted with you all through high school, you were only too dumb to notice it.”

“Shit. I was completely in love with you, I just didn’t know it.”

She looks at him, eyes wide in surprise. “You were?”

“Totally. I realized it when you decided to go to San Francisco for college. It hurt more than it should.”

She’s amused, and she can’t hide it. “You never told me anything.”

“I couldn’t, like, get in the way of you following your dream, could I?”

They’re quiet once again.

“You've changed,” Annabeth mutters finally, keeping her eyes on his and resisting the urge to run her hand through his jaw to feel his new beard under her fingers.

“For better, I hope?”

“I’m not sure yet. But I think so, yeah.”

He reaches out to straighten her shirt, which she hadn’t even noticed that had slid through her right shoulder.

“Sorry,” he’s blushing.

She ignores him. “When I left,” she says. “To San Francisco, I mean. Was it hard, getting over?”

One side of his mouth turns up, but it’s humorless. “I didn’t.”

“What?”

“I didn’t get over you, not really. I just waited to see you when we could, and then you came back and… Well, we finally got together,” he explains.

“Oh,” she says, wondering if he’d felt anything similar to what she felt these past years.

“But Alaska was worse,” his gaze is so intense that she thinks she might melt just from the energy coming from it.

And she’s feeling a desperate urge to get closer and closer, to get lost in his eyes just enough for her to feel his breath on her face. She knows that feeling all too well. She has missed it for the past 3 years.

“Uh?”

He smiles. “Getting over you. Was way worse in Alaska,” he gulps. “I mean, because of the bears and the cold.”

She chuckles. “Is that so?”

He nods affirmatively, but she knows that’s not the reason.

Finally she gathers the courage to ask him the question that she wished she didn’t want to ask. “And did you? Get over me?”

His breath is uneven, and he furrows his eyebrows slightly. “I- I don’t know,” he mutters.

She’s breathing heavily too, and finally, _finally,_ she allows her hand to rest on his jaw and feel the scratchy sensation that remembers her of everything new there is about him. About them.

“Maybe we should figure it out,” she says, and she hopes she doesn’t sound as anxious as she feels.

They come closer and closer, slowly, as someone who’s testing the water before entering a cold pool. Their breaths are ragged and heavy, and they blend into each others chocolate cake scent.

When Percy rests his hand on the lower of her back, Annabeth’s body memory is so strong that she immediately feels the hairs of her arms go up and the familiar tension at the bottom of her stomach. And then she closes rapidly the gap between them, smashing their mouths together and savoring his lips.

The whole thing is just a lot to feel and her body can’t register it all. Percy’s tongue touching hers feels like electricity going through her body, and when his hand start traveling down her neck and she feels it on the side of her chest, she can’t help but moan like she’s 16 again.

And for that he bites her bottom lip and gives her a gentle squeeze, and she has to remember how to breathe again, but this time it’s a good thing. And when he pulls her closer, to his lap, and starts kissing her neck, she remembers just how much she misses the sex with him.

So it takes a lot of her to get his attention when his mouth starts sliding her shirt down. “Shit. Percy!”

She holds his head and pulls it up.

“We’re on the balcony. You’re sister’s next door with her friends, and your parents-“

“Fuck,” he leads his hand to the back of his neck, ruffling his hair, uncomfortably, and Annabeth sits back on the ground. “Sorry, I got… Excited.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

He blushes and she bites her lip, thinking. They sit is silence for a while, steadying their breaths.

“God, I missed this,” he mutters after some time, and she nods.

“So, does this help you decide? If you got over me?”

He smiles. “You know what, maybe I need some more… Refreshing.”

“Oh?”

He gets closer slowly and puts his mouth on her ear before whispering. “Yeah. Maybe some clothes-off kind of refreshing, if you're up to.”

Just the thought of it makes her whole body warm up.

She knows that’s not a wise decision. She knows that the last thing she needs is a classic and complicated episode of sex with the ex in her life. She knows that, _if_ she wants to get back together with Percy, the right way to start is not that, but getting to know him and get closer to him again.

She knows she shouldn’t say yes.

But she also knows that she hasn’t felt this good in 3 years. So she does.

“My place or yours?”

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr: @hellpotter


End file.
